October Student First Award Winners

Two UT employees recently were awarded the Students First Award for the month of October. President Lloyd Jacobs recognized
the winners in front of
the group the award is given for: students.

Tracci Harmon, manager of retail operations and student staffing, and Dr. Dennis Morse, professor emeritus of neurosciences
in the College of
Medicine, were October’s Students First Award winners. Both were nominated by students and were chosen by the committee from
the President’s
Commission on Student Centeredness.

Harmon was nominated for keeping students at the forefront of her job and working beyond expected hours. She has been serving
UT students for a
number of years, both as director of student activities and leadership and her current position.

She has gone as far as
providing snacks for students who did not have time to eat breakfast before early summer classes from her own resources and,
according to her
nominator, a recent UT graduate and student leader, “She goes above and beyond the call of duty. Her door is literally always
open.” He added,
“She [listens to students about] their lives and struggles. She shows students that she is not only interested in their campus
involvement, but
also in their hearts and minds.”

“Iam truly delighted to have received this award, and receiving it during the holiday season stirs even more emotion,” Harmon
said. “I am
passionate about helping students set and achieve their goals. It gives me great joy to know that my efforts are appreciated
by the students and
acknowledged by President Jacobs and the University.”

A student who saw Morse’s attention to detail and devotion to teaching nominated him because these qualities make him a student-centered
faculty
member.

Much of Morse’s career has been spent teaching and researching vertebrate cardiovascular and visual systems, but in an effort
to make teaching more
student-centered and informed by developing technology, he shifted his interests to the development of software that effectively
teaches students
about gross anatomy and histology.

According to the student who nominated him, Morse is known as “the artist” among his colleagues because of his elegant and
clear illustrations.
Beyond the technical end of his job, he also spends time making sure each of his students understands the material.

“He spends time working with students who have difficulty mastering this challenging subject and makes sure that they receive
the attention they
need from their professors in order to succeed,” wrote his nominator. “When you spend time with Dr. Morse, you can tell his
focus in education is
the student. He cares for his students, not only whether or not they perform well on an exam, but who they are as people.”

“The receipt of the Students First Award is very special to me since it represents the best kind of feedback — from the consumer,”
Morse said. “My
success in the classroom is made possible by the opportunity to work with bright, motivated adult learners and by being a member of a team of anatomists with similar
educational philosophies.”

Jacobs surprised both winners with their awards right before Thanksgiving. Each received gift cards to Barnes & Noble and
Starbucks, and at the
end of the academic year, one overall winner will be chosen to receive a prize of $1,500.